The A-Side Record - Vol. 2
This weekly column features my notes on music I’m listening to, project updates, and happenings in country music.
Lots of new music being announced this week - the most anticipated being Ashley McBryde’s The Devil I Know - that will be released on September 8. Plenty of notable songwriters contributing to it including Lainey Wilson.
Lainey is also a collaborator on Lauren Alania’s new EP - her first for Big Loud - out next Friday.
“Watermelon Moonshine” will be the next single from Lainey Wilson. Perfect summer song. Kinda reminds me of a certain country song from 1996 that dominated the airwaves.
If there’s an artist you need to be listening to right now, it’s Hannah Dasher. After seeing her at Whiskey Jam a few years ago, she’s been one my most-listened to artists. And I’ve been hanging on to every new snippet of a song I find on social media, so to get a new album is very exciting. The Other Damn Half will be released on August 4. “Ugly Houses” a track featured on the album is out now, and a contender for Song of the Year. I’ll have more on this later next week.
Carly Pearce is slowly revealing the next project in her career. What we do know is there is a new song coming soon…and there’s a guest artist on it. Any guesses? Will it be a country act? Maybe someone she’s toured with, or perhaps Trisha Yearwood?
It’s been 25 years since Mark Wills released Wish You Were Here, his sophomore album for Mercury Records. I go deep into this album on my podcast this week.
Ricochet was all over country radio in 1996 with their first single “Daddy’s Money.” The band has recently signed a new record deal and has an album set for an August 18 release date. The collection features a bunch of hits and nine new tracks…appropriately titled Ricochet Then & Now… The Hits & More. Did you know that Jeff Carson inspired “Daddy’s Money?” I had the chance to talk with Ricochet lead singer Heath Wright last year about it - you can listen to that podcast here.
Congrats to Randy Travis who was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He shared a pic of himself with Travis Tritt and Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire from Shenandoah from the festivities. Randy’s debut album Storms of Life turns 37 this week.
Buddy Jewell is now on the Arkansas Walk of Fame. Buddy says, "What an incredible honor it is for me to be honored by my home state and to add my name to a lot of prestigious people that are here.” He has a newly recorded version of “Sweet Southern Comfort” featuring The Bellamy Brothers, Marty Raybon, and Clint Black out now.
Tanya Tucker rode a horse onto the Opry stage which seems like a very Tanya Tucker-like thing to do. Looking forward to diving into her album Sweet Southern Sound. Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlisle produced it.
Brandi also produced Brandy Clark’s newest release. I am longtime fan of Brandy Clark and was eager to hear what the pair could create. Brandy Clark has always been a premier story-teller and we get her trademark writing style on this record, but it goes so much deeper than that. There’s a vulnerability that is exposed, making it intimate. I feel like we get to know Brandy Clark a little bit better with this record.
Every station whether it’s country, pop, or AC is all over “Fast Car” from Luke Combs. That’s not the only single he has out to radio. “Love You Anyway” is approaching the top ten with “Fast Car” just spots behind it. I discuss the trend of artists releasing multiple singles in my Chart Talk episode on the podcast this week.
On the horizon: Kimberly Perry has a solo album arriving next week that I look forward to hearing, I’m working on a John Berry podcast exploring his debut album as it celebrates 30 years, and I’ll have the next installment in the 90 Underrated Songs of the ‘90s.